Thursday night saw the QLD
Muslim community come
together to officially and
publicly endorse the White
Ribbon campaign. With over
80 people and more than 20
service organisations in
attendance it was a major
success.

It was a night and an
opportunity for the QLD
Muslim community to endorse
the vital work of the White
Ribbon campaign and continue
the conversation of ending
domestic and family violence
against women and children.

Event organiser Ali Ghafoor
said “It provided
opportunities for key Muslim
organisations and entities
to come together and stand
united to stop domestic
violence and officially
endorse the White Ribbon
campaign”.

White Ribbon is the world’s
largest movement of men and
boys working to end men’s
violence against women and
girls. White Ribbon
Australia, as part of this
global movement, aims to
create an Australian society
in which all women can live
in safety, free from
violence and abuse.

“It was a great night and
show of dedication by the
Muslim community to come
together and connect and
building bridges with
mainstream services to guide
future practice in stopping
violence against women. As
well as developing
strategies to work
holistically with mainstream
services to address these
issues."

Council of Imams QLD
Chairman Imaam Yusuf Peer
who was representing the
Council of Imams said “It
was a great night and an
outstanding show of unity
and collaboration. I would
like to thank everyone who
got involved. Council of
Imams Queensland is
committed to stopping
violence against women and
children. We must stand
together to address these
issues. Imams continue to do
amazing work around
preventing and supporting
victims of domestic violence
and will continue to work
with the community to stop
violence against women”

Ali Ghafoor said “7 in 10
women murdered in Australia
are victims of family
violence and this is not
just a Muslim but rather a
social wicked problem, which
calls for each and every one
of us to continue to work
together and build
collaborative partnerships
and innovative strategies to
stop violence against women
and children."

Late on Thursday night the
first 163 of a planned
25,000 Syrian refugees
arrived in Canada, and were
greeted and given winter
coats by prime minister
Justin Trudeau.

“Tonight they step off the
plane as refugees, but they
walk out of this terminal as
permanent residents of
Canada,” Trudeau told
government employees at the
airport, according to the
New York Times.

The day after their arrival,
a video of a choir singing
one of the oldest songs in
the Islamic culture, Tala’
al Badru ‘Alayna, surfaced
on YouTube. It’s a symbolic
song, having been sung when
Prophet Mohammed arrived in
Medina after having fled his
home in Mecca as a refugee.

The Slacks Creek
Mosque and the
Muslim
Charitable
Foundation (MCF)
teamed up on
Friday night at
the Woodridge
railway station
with the
Queensland
Catholic Charity
group,
Rosies, to
provide meals
for the homeless
and others in
need.

A Queensland state LNP MP
has accused fellow
politicians of "Muspandering"
in their comments about
Islam and has backed former
prime minister Tony Abbott's
recent comments regarding
the need for Islamic reform.
In a series of tweets, many
of which were directed to
Abbott loyalist members of
the federal Coalition such
as Eric Abetz, Kevin
Andrews, Cory Bernardi and
George Christiansen, Mr
Robinson blasted politicians
for pandering to the Muslim
community by not linking the
Islamic religion directly to
terrorism.

Mr Robinson, a conservative
Christian, told Fairfax
Media the tweets were not
directed at any particular
politicians, but he said it
applied to MPs from both
sides of the aisle.

"It's not directed at any
one MP, but it's equally
applicable to a good number
on both the Liberal and
Labor sides," he said.

"… Burying our head in the
sand and saying, 'It's not
about Islam at all', is
really a very poor starting
point."

Mr Robinson, who directed
his tweets to the
conservative rivals of
Malcolm Turnbull, said he
would not single out the
Prime Minister for
criticism.

Mr Robinson said he coined
the #muspandering hashtag
from a similar term – "hispandering"
– in the US, which accused
politicians there of
pandering to the Hispanic
community.

‘They have become
irrelevant’: Ahmed Kilani says
current Islamic leaders are the
‘false face’ of the Muslim
community.

The founder of Australia’s
biggest Muslim media
organisation has called for
a “revolution’’ within the
Islamic community, sweeping
out the old guard of leaders
who he says have become the
“false face’’ of the
nation’s Muslims.

Ahmed Kilani, who started
the website Muslim Village,
said the present crop of
community leaders had become
“irrelevant’’ not only to
the community at large, but
also to most Australian
Muslims.

Mr Kilani said that with 75
per cent of Australian
Muslims either being born in
Australia or having come
here at a young age, it no
longer made sense to have
key instituti­ons, such as
mosques and peak community
groups, controlled by what
he described as “ethnic
tribes’’ from within the
Muslim community.

“The reality is that the
leadership of the Australian
Muslim community has major
structural and dysfunctional
issues that need to be
urgently addressed,’’ Mr
Kilani told The Australian.

“We need a revolution in
leadership structures to
allow generational and
intellectual change.’’

Mr Kilani, who in addition
to his work with Muslim
Village has sat on the
boards of Islamic schools
and charities, said while
some organisations were
trying to transform, many
had grown hopelessly out of
touch with their grassroots
base.

“They have become
irrelevant,’’ Mr Kilani
said. “Yet they control tens
of millions of dollars of
important community assets
and are the false face of
the Muslim community to
greater Australian
society.’’

Mr Kilani’s comments came
just weeks after the Grand
Mufti, Ibrahim Abu Mohamed,
caused a furore after he
apportioned some of the
blame for the Paris terror
attacks on “causative
factors’’, such as racism
and tougher terror laws.

Dr Abu Mohamed’s remarks
reinforced a perception held
by some that Australian
Muslims are reluctant to
speak frankly about the role
of religion in Islamic
violence, preferring instead
to cast blame on other
factors, such as Western
foreign policy.

A statement put out by the
Grand Mufti, in which he
sought to clarify the
remarks, only served to
inflame the situation,
prompting an attack by
senior government minister
Josh Frydenberg, who accused
him of a failure of
leadership.

“He sought to cover that up
subsequently but it was a
graphic failure and he has
more of a responsibility not
only to the Muslim community
but to the community at
large because all of our
security is at risk,’’ Mr
Frydenberg said.

Mr Kilani offered no
criticism of the Grand
Mufti.

But he said all imams and
community leaders should be
made to sign a charter of
values that unequivocally
repudiated violence
conducted in the name of
Islam and called on all
Muslims to participate in
and contribute to the
society in which they live.

He also called for greater
transparency and
accountability in the
management of community
groups and assets, a veiled
reference to some of the
probity concerns that have
dogged some organisations.

Mr Kilani
said the
“bricks and
mortar’’
approach to
building
community
favoured by
the older
guard had
built
endless
mosques but
produced no
social
capital,
such as drug
rehabilitation
centres,
mentoring
programs for
vulnerable
young
Muslims,
halfway
houses for
prisoners
and
institutions
to train
locally
recruited
imams.

His
remarks
found
support,
with Ghaith
Krayem,
formerly the
president of
the Islamic
Council of
Victoria,
who said the
Muslim
community
needed to be
investing
heavily in
its
intellectual
capital,
such as
creating
think tanks
and
developing
academic
research.

This, he said, would equip
it with the data necessary
to properly tackle problems
such as youth
radicalisation.

“There is no proper
structural leadership within
the community,’’ Mr Krayem
said. “The mufti and the
Australian National Imams
Council find themselves in
the unenviable position of
performing roles they
otherwise wouldn’t be
performing. The mufti’s
(role) is a religious role,
not a social one. So the
fact that people look to the
mufti for those responses
reflects those structural
leadership problems.’’

Bendigo mosque gets go-ahead
Victoria's high court rejects
Bendigo residents' claims that
the building of a mosque would
bring negative social effects to
Bendigo. (Vision courtesy ABC
News 24)

Victoria's highest court has
thrown out a protracted
legal bid by a group of
Bendigo residents to stop a
mosque being built in the
regional city.

The City of Greater Bendigo
now expects the mosque to be
built within two years.

Led by local woman Julie
Hoskin, a small group of
residents has been
crowd-funding its battle
against the mosque, which
the City of Bendigo approved
in June last year and which
VCAT approved in August.

Ms Hoskin, who refused to
comment to the media after
the Court of Appeal judgment
was handed down, tumbled
down the steps outside court
after the verdict, and had
to be given first aid
treatment for a suspected
broken ankle.

She was helped into a taxi
by members of the media,
after refusing an ambulance.

On Wednesday morning, the
court rejected the
residents' claims that the
mosque would bring negative
social effects to Bendigo.
The judges said Victoria's
Charter of Human Rights
protected freedom of
religion, and said the mere
practice of religious
worship could not be
considered to be an adverse
"social effect".

Further,
the Court
found that
the
objectors'
concerns
were
"overstated
and
unfounded".

"In the absence of any
objective, concrete evidence
substantiating the adverse
social effects the objectors
submitted the mosque could
have, the Tribunal [VCAT]
acted according to law in
giving the objectors'
concerns little weight."

Anti-Islam groups have
rallied several times in
Bendigo over the mosque,
with the regional city
becoming a flashpoint for
far-right discontent over a
raft of issues, including
Australia's immigration
policies, fears of terrorism
and halal food, and
multiculturalism.

In October, Premier Daniel
Andrews sat down with
religious community leaders
ahead of anti-mosque
protests, describing as
"hateful" the campaign
against the mosque and
pledging to stand with local
Muslims.

City of Greater Bendigo
planning and development
director Prue Mansfield said
the objectors had failed to
prove the mosque would bring
negative social impacts to
the city.

"It's not
just enough
to say you
have a view
there will
be traffic
impact or
other
impacts, you
actually
have to
produce the
evidence,"
she said.

"It's just
the same for
social
impacts, you
can't just
say 'we
worry that
there will
be a social
impact', you
actually
have to
produce
objective
evidence."

Lawyers for the Australian
Islamic Mission said on
Wednesday they would seek
costs against the mosque
residents fighting the
mosque.

The lawyer for the
residents, Robert Balzola,
was unable to be in court
after his plane was turned
away, so residents have
until Friday afternoon to
write to the court and
submit their arguments on
the question of costs.

In a statement, the
Australian Islamic Mission
said: "The wider Bendigo
community has shown strength
and resilience and we are so
appreciative of the
heart-warming support we
received.

"We would especially like to
thank the Bendigo Council
for holding on to the great
Australian values of
equality, democracy and a
fair go for all."

Residents have not ruled out
further legal action,
flagging a further appeal to
the High Court. However,
this would require objectors
to convince the higher court
it was in the interests of
justice for the further
appeal to proceed.

In November, Chief Justice
Marilyn Warren ordered the
objectors to produce bank
documents showing the
objectors could afford to
pay costs in the event they
lost the case.

Chris Townshend,
representing the Australian
Islamic Mission, told the
court last month that VCAT
had compiled a summary of
the objections to the
mosque, and "the quite
specific flavour and nature"
of those objections showed
they were based on "the
religious practices of other
Victorians", rather than
planning issues.

"[They] all go to the choice
of practice of religion at a
very general level," Mr
Townshend said.

Examples of objections
included "Islam's
integration with western
culture", the prospect of
"more people dressed in
Islamic dress" and the "Islamification
of Bendigo".

Mr Townshend said given the
Victorian Charter of Human
Rights protected the right
to freedom of religion, the
tribunal could have rejected
these objections based on
religion out of hand, but
had instead given the
objectors the courtesy of
hearing their complaints.

But these objections, he
said, amounted to "an attack
on freedom of religion".

In August, VCAT found that
the Australian Islamic
Mission's proposal to build
a mosque, sports hall and
other facilities on Rowena
Street in Bendigo East did
not present significant
social or other impacts to
the community and would not
unreasonably affect nearby
homes.

The objectors' group had
argued the mosque project,
which was granted a planning
permit in June, would create
noise pollution and traffic
congestion.

Rahila Haidary says she is
disappointed by the amount of
hate coming from the United
Patriots Front.

A young Muslim woman is
vowing to continue to speak
out against anti-Islam
protesters, despite an
encounter at a Reclaim
Australia rally last month
that left her feeling
"disappointed" and
"heartbroken".

Twenty-year-old Afghan
refugee Rahila Haidary had
planned to join friends at
the anti-racism side of the
rally in Perth last month
but changed her mind at the
last minute.

"The whole night I was
thinking 'these people are
against Muslims, but why?',"
Ms Haidary said.

"I actually went there to
join the other side but then
before I got to the other
side I thought, 'why not
just hear some of the
reasons why these people are
against Muslims before I go
there?'"

Ms Haidary was quickly met
by several members of the
United Patriots Front who
asked if she would discuss
her religion with them.

"They said do you agree with
freedom? And I said, 'yes I
do'," Ms Haidary told 7.30.

"The next interesting
question that they asked was
'would you call yourself a
Muslim first or an
Australian first?

"I said 'I would call myself
an Australian first' and
they were surprised, they
said 'why? Aren't you a
proud Muslim?' I said, 'I am
a proud Muslim.

"The reason I would call
myself Australian first is
because [the] Australian
constitution gives me the
freedom to practise my
religion and that's why I
respect this country, that's
why I'm here today."

'Hatred' spread in online
post of her photograph

Ms Haidary said she was
pleased with how the
conversation had gone but
when the group later posted
a photograph of her on its
Facebook page telling their
supporters they had
"educated" her, she was
horrified.

"I was disappointed really,
I was really disappointed,"
she said.

"The amount of hatred coming
from that post, the comments
were just heartbreaking,
some of them were really
threatening, 'wait until she
walks outside and she gets
her scarf pulled off' and
that breaks my heart."

Ms Haidary said she
regretted confronting the
protesters at the time but
that she would do it again
if she had the chance.

"If the need arises then I
would," she said.

"If I feel that they need to
be educated more, then I
would go for it."

Ms Haidary was born in the
war-ravaged Uruzgan province
in Afghanistan and as a
six-year-old defied the
Taliban by dressing up as a
boy to go to school.

"They had really strict
punishment for me," she
said.

"They said either we have to
take her life or my dad had
to send me somewhere that I
couldn't come back or
couldn't see my family
anymore so that I forget
that education is for
girls."

She was sent to Pakistan
where her family later
joined her before ultimately
fleeing to Australia.

"[I had heard] Australia is
so peaceful, it's a country
of love, everybody cares
about people, you have every
right there, you can go to
school so I couldn't wait to
be honest, I couldn't wait
to come here," she said.

Ms Haidary said while the
recent anti-Islam rallies
had made her question that
image, she loved Australia
and her experience at the
Reclaim Australia rally only
strengthened her resolve to
talk to people about her
culture and religion.

"Nothing scares me really,"
she said.

"It might make me feel bad
for one or two days but then
at the end, I'm the person
who would not tolerate the
injustice and go out there
and say, hey, this is not
right."

Calligraphy kerfuffle:
Controversy erupted after
students at a Virginia high
school were instructed to write
a Muslim statement of faith
(above), which reads, 'There is
no god but Allah, and Muhammad
is the messenger of Allah,' as
part of a world geography class

VIRGINIA, US: A lesson in
calligraphy has caused an
uproar among some parents at
a Virginia high school when
students were instructed to
write a Muslim statement of
faith that read: 'There is
no god but Allah, and
Muhammad is the messenger of
Allah.'

The incident took place on
Friday during a world
geography class at
Riverheads High School in
Staunton.

The lesson of the day
focused on world religions,
among them Islam. As part of
the assignment, social
studies teacher Cheryl
LaPorte had her ninth-grade
students copy a piece of
Arabic text known as the
shahada, which is the most
common Islamic creed.

Recitation of the shahada in
public is the first formal
step in conversion to Islam.
However, according to school
officials, the ninth-graders
were not asked to translate
the statement or read it
aloud.

Students were also shown
copies of the Koran, and
female students were invited
to try on a scarf as part of
a lesson about the Islamic
concept of modest dress.

Parent Kimberly Herndon was
infuriated when her son came
home with the assignment
sheet from Mrs LaPorte's
world geography class.

'When I saw the language,
the Arabic language,
immediately I had a bad
feeling come over me,' the
mother of six told NBC29.

Herndon, who is a devout
Christian, accused the
teacher of indoctrinating
unsuspecting students into
the Islamic faith. The
mother has not sent her son
back to school since the
incident and said she would
be willing to take this case
all the way to the US
Supreme Court if she must.

'She [LaPorte] gave up the
Lord's time,' Herndon said
of the religious lesson when
speaking to the Staunton
News Leader. 'She gave it up
and gave it to Mohammed.'

The Augusta County parent on
Tuesday organized a meeting
attended by more than 100
people at Good New
Ministries to discuss the
controversial calligraphy
lesson.

Debbie Ballew, a former
English teacher who was
present up at the public
forum, said had she asked
her students to copy a
passage from the Bible, she
would have lost her job.

Several people who came out
for the meeting called for
Cheryl LaPorte's termination
in the wake of the incident.

‘I will not have my children
sit under a woman who
indoctrinates them with the
Islam religion when I am a
Christian, and I'm going to
stand behind Christ,’ said
Herndon.

Augusta County School
Superintendent Dr. Eric Bond
released a statement saying
the point of the lesson was
to introduce children to
various world religions in
an interactive way, not to
have them convert to Islam.

'Neither these lessons, nor
any other lesson in the
world geography course, are
an attempt at indoctrination
to Islam or any other
religion, or a request for
students to renounce their
own faith or profess any
belief,' the press release
read.

Riverheads ninth-grader
Laurel Truxell told the
station WHSV she did not
feel comfortable copying the
Arabic text or putting on
the scarf meant to mimic the
Islamic Hijab.

Bond said in his statement
that Ms LaPorte's lesson was
consistent with the
Standards of Learning in
Virginia. As part of the
school curriculum, when
students are taught about a
geographic region, they are
also introduced to its
dominant religion and
written language.

Friday’s lesson, according
to the statement, focused on
the Middle East and Islam.

‘The
students
were
presented
with the
statement to
demonstrate
the complex
artistry of
the written
language
used in the
Middle East,
and were
asked to
attempt to
copy it in
order to
give the
students an
idea of the
artistic
complexity
of the
calligraphy,’
Dr Bond
stated.

Bond added that students at
Riverheads will be given
similar assignments when
they study about China and
Africa.

Today I went & stood in
front of Trump Tower & held
a sign until the police
came. Then I went home &
wrote Donald a letter. Here
it is:

Dear Donald Trump:

You may remember (you
do, after all, have a
"perfect memory!"), that
we met back in November
of 1998 in the green
room of a talk show
where we were both
scheduled to appear one
afternoon. But just
before going on, I was
pulled aside by a
producer from the show
who said that you were
"nervous" about being on
the set with me. She
said you didn't want to
be "ripped apart" and
you wanted to be
reassured I wouldn't "go
after you."

"Does he think I'm going
to tackle him and put
him in a choke hold?" I
asked, bewildered.

"No," the producer
replied, "he just seems
all jittery about you."

"Huh. I've never met the
guy. There's no reason
for him to be scared," I
said. "I really don't
know much about him
other than he seems to
like his name on stuff.
I'll talk to him if you
want me to."

And so, as you may
remember, I did. I went
up and introduced myself
to you. "The producer
says you're worried I
might say or do
something to you during
the show. Hey, no
offense, but I barely
know who you are. I'm
from Michigan. Please
don't worry -- we're
gonna get along just
fine!"

You seemed relieved,
then leaned in and said
to me, "I just didn't
want any trouble out
there and I just wanted
to make sure that, you
know, you and I got
along. That you weren't
going to pick on me for
something ridiculous."

"Pick on" you? I
thought, where are we,
in 3rd grade? I was
struck by how you, a
self-described tough guy
from Queens, seemed like
such a fraidey-cat.

You and I went on to do
the show. Nothing
untoward happened
between us. I didn't
pull on your hair,
didn't put gum on your
seat. "What a wuss," was
all I remember thinking
as I left the set.

And now, here we are in
2015 and, like many
other angry white guys,
you are frightened by a
bogeyman who is out to
get you. That bogeyman,
in your mind, are all
Muslims. Not just the
ones who have killed,
but ALL MUSLIMS.

Fortunately, Donald, you
and your supporters no
longer look like what
America actually is
today. We are not a
country of angry white
guys. Here's a statistic
that is going to make
your hair spin:
Eighty-one percent of
the electorate who will
pick the president next
year are either female,
people of color, or
young people between the
ages of 18 and 35. In
other words, not you.
And not the people who
want you leading their
country.

So, in desperation and
insanity, you call for a
ban on all Muslims
entering this country. I
was raised to believe
that we are all each
other's brother and
sister, regardless of
race, creed or color.
That means if you want
to ban Muslims, you are
first going to have to
ban me. And everyone
else.

We are all Muslim.

Just as we are all
Mexican, we are all
Catholic and Jewish and
white and black and
every shade in between.
We are all children of
God (or nature or
whatever you believe
in), part of the human
family, and nothing you
say or do can change
that fact one iota. If
you don't like living by
these American rules,
then you need to go to
the time-out room in any
one of your Towers, sit
there, and think about
what you've said.

And then leave the rest
of us alone so we can
elect a real president
who is both
compassionate and strong
-- at least strong
enough not to be all
whiny and scared of some
guy in a ballcap from
Michigan sitting next to
him on a talk show
couch. You're not so
tough, Donny, and I'm
glad I got to see the
real you up close and
personal all those years
ago.

We are all Muslim. Deal
with it.

All my best,Michael Moore

P.S. I'm asking everyone
who reads this letter to
go here (http://michaelmoore.com/weareallmuslim),
and sign the following
statement: "WE ARE ALL
MUSLIM" -- and then post
a photo of yourself
holding a homemade sign
saying "WE ARE ALL
MUSLIM" on Twitter,
Facebook, or Instagram
using the hashtag #WeAreAllMuslim.
I will post all the
photos on my site and
send them to you, Mr.
Trump. Feel free to join
us.

After Facebook CEO Mark
Zuckerberg, Google CEO
Sundar Pichai has come out
in support of Muslims,
saying that we must support
Muslim and other minority
communities in the US and
around the world.

Responding to a recent wave
of prejudice against Muslims
— especially in the wake of
US Republican presidential
candidate Donald Trump
calling for a ban on Muslims
entering the US — the
Indian-born top Google
executive reiterated his own
experience and said let’s
not let fear defeat our
values.

“I came to the US from India
22 years ago. I was
fortunate enough to gain
entry to a university here,
and time after time, I saw
that hard work opened other
doors. I have built a career
and a family and a life
here. And I’ve felt as much
a part of this country, as I
felt growing up in India,”
he posted on Medium on
Saturday.

FULL STATEMENT BY PICHAI

Let’s
not let
fear
defeat
our
values

I
came to
the US
from
India 22
years
ago. I
was
fortunate
enough
to gain
entry to
a
university
here,
and time
after
time, I
saw that
hard
work
opened
other
doors. I
have
built a
career
and a
family
and a
life
here.
And I’ve
felt as
much a
part of
this
country,
as I
felt
growing
up in
India.

My
experience
is
obviously
not
unique.
It’s
been
said a
million
times
that
America
is the
“land of
opportunity” — for
millions
of
immigrants,
it’s not
an
abstract
notion,
but a
concrete
description
of what
we find
here.
America
provided
access
to
opportunities
that
simply
didn’t
exist
for many
of us
before
we
arrived.

And it’s
not just
about
opportunity.
The
open-mindedness,
tolerance,
and
acceptance
of new
Americans
is one
of the
country’s
greatest
strengths
and most
defining
characteristics.
And that
is no
coincidence — America,
after
all, was
and is a
country
of
immigrants.

That is
why it’s
so
disheartening
to see
the
intolerant
discourse
playing
out in
the news
these
days — statements
that our
country
would be
a better
place
without
the
voices,
ideas
and the
contributions
of
certain
groups
of
people,
based
solely
on where
they
come
from, or
their
religion.

I walk
around
the
campus
where I
work and
see a
vibrant
mix of
races
and
cultures.
Every
one of
those
people
has a
different
voice …
a
different
perspective
… a
different
story to
tell.
All of
that
makes
our
company
an
exciting
and
special
place to
be, and
allows
us to do
great
things
together.
We are
urgently
working
to
become
much
more
diverse,
because
it’s so
important
to our
future
success.
I firmly
believe
that
whether
you’re
building
a
company
or
leading
a
country,
a
diverse
mix of
voices
and
backgrounds
and
experiences
leads to
better
discussions,
better
decisions,
and
better
outcomes
for
everyone.

I
debated
whether
to post
this,
because
lately
it seems
that
criticism
of
intolerance
just
gives
more
oxygen
to this
debate.
But I
feel we
must
speak
out — particularly
those of
us who
are not
under
attack.
Everyone
has the
right to
their
views,
but it’s
also
important
that
those
who are
less
represented
know
that
those
are not
the
views of
all.

Let’s
not let
fear
defeat
our
values.
We must
support
Muslim
and
other
minority
communities
in the
US and
around
the
world.

Earlier this week, Facebook
CEO Zuckerberg said that his
company would “fight to
protect” the rights of
Muslims, and work to “create
a peaceful and safe
environment”.

In a post, the Facebook
founder wrote: “I want to
add my voice in support of
Muslims in our community and
around the world”.

“After the Paris attacks and
hate this week, I can only
imagine the fear Muslims
feel that they will be
persecuted for the actions
of others,” he added.

“As a Jew, my parents taught
me that we must stand up
against attacks on all
communities. Even if an
attack isn’t against you
today, in time attacks on
freedom for anyone will hurt
everyone.

“If you’re a Muslim in this
community, as the leader of
Facebook I want you to know
that you are always welcome
here and that we will fight
to protect your rights and
create a peaceful and safe
environment for you,” added
Zuckerberg.

The 31-year old billionaire
who recently welcomed the
birth of his first child,
said the newborn has given
him hope, and called for the
world to unite and stand
against cynicism.

Donald Trump has proposed
profiling Muslim Americans
and shutting down mosques.
He claims that Muslim
"hatred is beyond
comprehension." But the
truth is that Muslim
Americans are not only
integrating into U.S.
society, but are actually
more opposed to violence and
more tolerant in many ways
than many other Americans.

The Australian Citizenship
Amendment (Allegiance to
Australia) Act 2015 (the
Allegiance Act) came into
effect on 12 December 2015.
It amends the Australian
Citizenship Act 2007 to:

• insert a ‘purpose
clause’ setting out the
fundamental principles
upon which the
amendments are based;
• circumstances in which
a dual citizen ceases to
be an Australian citizen
through engagement in
terrorism-related
activities;
• outline circumstances
in which the Minister
may exempt a person from
the operation of the
Act;
• provide for reporting
on and monitoring of the
operation of the
arrangements in the Act;
• provide for the
protection of sensitive
or prejudicial
information in relation
to that reporting and
monitoring; and
• other related matters.

The purpose of the
Allegiance Act is to deal
with the threat caused by
those who have acted in a
manner contrary to their
allegiance to Australia by
removing them from formal
membership of the Australian
community. The focus of the
Act is on the protection of
the Australian community,
rather than punishing
terrorist or hostile acts.

Section 33AA provides for
the renunciation and
cessation of citizenship.
However, for this provision
to apply to a person must
have engaged in the conduct
with the or intention of
advancing a political,
religious or ideological
cause and coercing or
influencing an arm of the
Australian Government or a
government of a foreign
country or intimidating the
public, while the person was
a member of a declared
terrorist organisation
(ss33AA(3)-(5)).

Extremism cannot be countered
with feel-good image-management,
but through intellectual
openness to questions about
racial inequality, the legacy of
colonialism and the impact of
global capital.

Recent controversy over a
boycott of a university
research project aimed at
countering violent extremism
(or CVE) warrants closer
investigation of the
relationship between
universities' CVE research,
"soft" counter-terrorism
measures and the young
Muslims they target.

Five out of seven Victorian
university Muslim Student
Associations signed a
statement saying they refuse
to participate in an
Australian version of the
U.S.-based #myjihad
campaign, which began in
response to a series of
Islamophobic bus
advertisements funded by
Pamela Geller.

Like other so-called
"reclaiming the narrative"
strategies, #myjihad seeks
to change the way Muslims
are seen in the West by
replacing negative
Orientalist representations
- those that construct
Muslims as irrationally
violent, sexist,
civilisationally backward
and so on - with correlating
positive representations of
Muslims as non-threatening
and peace-loving.

The most widely circulated #myjihad
advert does this through the
image of a smiling hijab-wearer
embracing a blonde woman
sporting a Christian cross
necklace - the caption
reads, "#Myjihad is to build
bridges through friendship."

The choice of jihad as the
site of contest is not
surprising, given the
centrality of the concept in
Islamic traditions and the
length of time - fourteen
centuries - that Muslims
have interpreted its
meaning.

ABC Religion
& Ethics

Chloe Patton
is a research fellow at the
International Centre for
Muslim and Non-Muslim
Understanding at the
University of South
Australia. Her research
explores Islamophobia in
Australia and France from a
critical race perspective.
Yassir Morsi is also a
research fellow at the
International Centre for
Muslim and Non-Muslim
Understanding. He has a PhD
in liberal theory and an
academic background in
Western political thought.

Liberal MP Dan Tehan and
shadow attorney-general Mark
Dreyfus at the hearing on the
Counter-Terrorism Legistlation
Amendment Bill before the
parliamentary joint committee on
Intelligence and security on
Monday.

Counter-terrorism laws are
being used to target Muslims
and are threatening social
cohesion, a parliamentary
committee has been told.

The Muslim Legal Network
said comments made last week
by former prime minister
Tony Abbott in which he
called for a reformation
within Islam were "extremely
offensive".

Mr Abbott's comments
"coupled with the
announcement of this bill
and the highly publicised
counter-terrorism raids in
western Sydney [show] the
Muslim community is yet
again placed in the
spotlight and their
belonging in Australia is
being questioned," the
network said.

Parliament's powerful joint
committee on intelligence
and security is holding an
inquiry into the
government's fifth tranche
of counter-terrorism
measures, which widen the
scope and secrecy of control
orders, including lowering
the age for which a judge
can grant an order from 16
to 14.

Control orders have been
used a handful of times in
Australia on people who the
Australian Federal Police
believe may commit a
terrorist act. They heavily
restrict the movement,
communications and
associations of suspects
without the need for a
criminal prosecution.

The control orders have the
support of both the
Coalition and the Labor
Party but they have been
criticised in legal circles.
The former independent
national security monitor,
Bret Walker, SC, said
earlier this year that the
orders required tremendous
amounts of surveillance
without any evidence that
they made the country safer.

At a hearing in Canberra on
Monday the Muslim Legal
Network said the changes to
counter-terrorism
legislation had "only been
applied to the Muslim
community".

"With
the rise of
extremist
groups such
as Reclaim
Australia
and
increasing
incidents of
Islamophobia
in
Australia,
the Muslim
community is
deeply
concerned by
the social
divisiveness
that is
growing in
Australia.
Such
divisiveness
is enforced
by the use
of these
laws,"
the
network's
president,
Zaahir
Edries, told
the
committee.

Mr Edries rejected the
argument, put by the
Australian Federal Police,
that applying control orders
to teenagers as young as 14
would allow them to receive
counselling and information
about the dangers of
radicalisation.

"A purely legislative
response to the issue of
young people who may be
prone to violent behaviour
will never be effective," he
said.

"The approach must be
consultative, inclusive and
one which directly addresses
the issues that young people
who may be prone to violent
behaviour face in line with
already established
principles regarding
children in criminal
proceedings."

Cameron Gifford, a lawyer
with the Attorney-General's
Department, rejected the
assertion that
counter-terrorism laws were
being used to target
Muslims.

"These laws apply equally
across the board and that's
the point we are at pains to
make," Mr Gifford said.

I would like to introduce
myself as your new and very
proud Minister for
Multicultural Affairs. I
follow in the footsteps of
my Cabinet colleague
Minister Shannon Fentiman
who many of you would have
had the pleasure of meeting.
Minister Fentiman has
retained her portfolio
responsibilities of
Communities, Women, Youth,
Child Safety and has been
given the additional very
significant responsibility
as Minister for the
Prevention of Domestic and
Family Violence. Minister
Fentiman has told me of the
absolute delight she has had
working with you and your
communities.

I am very excited to be
working in an area which has
been a passion of mine for
many years. I am the
daughter of an Italian
migrant family and have had
a strong association with
our many wonderful and
diverse multicultural
communities, as an employee
advocate and in recent years
as a local Member of
Parliament and community
advocate. I am committed to
meeting the challenges
facing our multicultural
society, but am also keen to
identify and action the
opportunities our
multiculturalism brings to
Queensland.

I am very much looking
forward to continuing the
vision of the Palaszczuk
government for a
Multicultural Future for All
– which will include leading
the Multicultural
Recognition Bill through the
debates in Parliament early
in the New Year, promoting
the proposed Multicultural
Charter and overseeing the
development of a whole of
government Multicultural
Policy and Action plan for
Queensland.

All the very best wishes to
you and your loved ones for
a wonderful holiday season
and for a new year full of
joy and fulfilment.

Yours sincerely

Grace Grace

Minister for Employment and
Industrial relations,
Minister for Racing and
Minister for Multicultural
Affairs

New Muslim Care (NMC)
Brisbane would like to
establish a dedicated office
in which to base our
activities from. We are
seeking expressions of
interest from local groups
to provide a small office
space (or room within a
larger facility) for us on
Brisbane’s Southside with
access to public transport.

Who can help us: •
Muslim community groups; •
Local businesses; • Local
centres; • Mosques

This is a unique opportunity
for you to provide services
for people living, working
and frequenting the local
area. Most importantly, this
is a valuable opportunity
for your organisation to
earn Sadaqatul Jariyah.

What NMC hopes to achieve
NMC Brisbane's focus is
towards the educational,
social and emotional needs
of each new Muslim at an
individual level as well as
facilitating and connecting
new Muslims to the various
activities occurring within
the larger Brisbane Muslim
community and Queensland.

NMC Brisbane also endeavours
to provide opportunities for
new Muslims to develop a
close connection with their
local Masjid and community
through existing and new
social networks.
Social benefits of a New
Muslim Care Brisbane office
include:

• Providing community
information and
resources
• Supporting community
activities and events
• Creation of or
participation in a
training or mentoring
scheme aimed at
improving the knowledge
of new Muslims
• Initiatives that
provide enhanced
integration for new
Muslims into the
existing community

Donald Trump wants Muslims
banned from entering the US –
but without them the country
would be a much poorer place

Donald Trump with legendary
boxer and Muslim, Muhammad Ali.

What have Muslims ever done
for America? If your sole
source of information were
Donald Trump, you’d think
that the answer was not much
– apart from murdering its
citizens and trying to
destroy its values. The
Republican presidential
hopeful has called for a
halt to Muslims entering the
US until American
authorities “can figure out”
Muslim attitudes to the US
in the wake of last week’s
killings in San Bernardino.
If only, you might well
think, Scotland had had the
same thought about Trump
before he was allowed in to
blight Aberdeenshire with
another of his golf resorts.

What Trump doesn’t seem to
grasp is his own country’s
history, and how many
American achievements worth
celebrating are the work of
the kind of people – Muslims
– he wants to keep out.

Here, then, is a guide to
some of the things Muslims
have done for the US. It’s
not an exhaustive list – but
it’s still more impressive
than what Trump has done for
his homeland.

Building its cities

The US wouldn’t look the way
it does if it weren’t for a
Muslim, Fazlur Rahman Khan.
The Dhaka-born
Bangladeshi-American was
known as the “Einstein of
structural engineering”. He
pioneered a new structural
system of frame tubes that
revolutionised the building
of skyscrapers.

That system consisted of, as
he once described it,
“three, four, or possibly
more frames, braced frames,
or shear walls, joined at or
near their edges to form a
vertical tube-like
structural system capable of
resisting lateral forces in
any direction by
cantilevering from the
foundation”.

The result was a new
generation of skyscrapers
that reduced the amount of
steel necessary in
construction and changed the
look of American cityscapes.
Islamist terrorists may have
blown up the World Trade
Center, but without Khan’s
innovation of the framed
tube structure, the twin
towers probably wouldn’t
have been constructed in the
first place.

Nor would the John Hancock
tower, with its distinctive
exterior X-bracing (devised
by Khan) or the Sears tower
(also made possible by

Trump tower, wouldn’t have
happened without Fazlur Rahman
Khan.

Khan’s variant on the
tube structure concept, the
system was the so-called
“bundled tube”) both in
Chicago.

The Sears Tower was for
nearly 25 years from 1973,
at 108 stories and 1,451ft
(442m), the tallest building
in the world. Khan died in
1982, but his innovations
have proved key for future
skyscrapers – including the
2009 Trump International
Hotel and Tower in Chicago.

Among other buildings on
which Khan served as
structural engineer is US
Bank Centre in Milwaukee and
the Hubert H Humphrey
Metrodome in Minneapolis. He
also worked on the United
States Air Force Academy in
Colorado, where officers are
trained.

If it weren’t for this
Muslim, arguably, the US air
force wouldn’t be quite so
good at its work that, as we
know, sometimes involves
bombing other countries,
some of them populated
chiefly by Muslims.

This Hanukkah,
Jews across the
U.S. are taking
to the street to
rally against
the Islamophobia
and racism
rampant in their
communities.

On each night in
the
eight-day-long
religious
holiday, Jewish
activists are
participating in
protests against
various forms of
injustice in a
campaign
initiated by the
Network Against
Islamophobia, a
project called
for by national
peace
organization
Jewish Voice for
Peace (JVP) to
challenge
anti-Muslim
bigotry, along
with Jews
Against
Islamophobia, a
coalition of JVP-New
York and the
activist group
Jews Say No!

The
demonstrations
are being held
in 15 cities
throughout the
country,
including
Chicago, Boston,
Miami, Seattle,
Atlanta. The
first
demonstration
was held at New
York City’s
Rockefeller
Center on
Sunday, Dec. 6,
the first night
of Hanukkah.

Activists are
conveying their
commitments
through signs in
the shape of
eight candles,
which together
comprise a
symbolic
menorah. A ninth
sign, modeled
after the
shamash, or
“helper” candle,
reads “Jews
against
Islamophobia and
racism —
rekindling our
commitment to
justice.” The
eight pledges
listed on the
other candles
are:

1.We will not be
silent about
anti-Muslim and
racist hate
speech and hate
crimes;
2.We condemn
state
surveillance of
the Muslim,
Arab, and South
Asian
communities;
3.We challenge,
through our
words and
actions,
institutionalized
racism and
state-sanctioned
anti-Black
violence;
4.We protest the
use of
Islamophobia and
anti-Arab racism
to justify
Israel’s
repressive
policies against
Palestinians;
5.We fight
anti-Muslim
profiling and
racial profiling
in all its
forms;
6.We call for an
end to racist
policing #SayHerName
#BlackLivesMatter;
7.We stand
against U.S.
policies driven
by the “war on
terror” that
demonize Islam
and devalue,
target, and kill
Muslims; and
8.We welcome
Syrian refugees
and stand strong
for immigrants’
rights and
refugee rights.

Salon

The Cronulla
riots made my
world a scarier
place
Asma Fahmi

When the hatred
of the rioters
filled my TV
screen 10 years
ago, I knew
things could
never be the
same again.

I've been living
in absolute
terror. I live
on a farm and
recently a brown
snake was seen
near my outdoor
washing machine
so every time I
walk past, I am
on full snake
alert. I have to
be vigilant
because needless
to say, the last
thing I need in
my life right
now is a lethal
snake bite.

We were
receiving death
threats and bomb
threats every 10
minutes.

Though truth be
told, living in
fear is not such
a big stretch
for me nor are
real or imagined
death threats.
The venom is
different but it
is still just as
frightening.

In the years
since the
Cronulla riots,
I have been
physically
assaulted twice
and at times,
I've had to walk
around the only
city I've ever
known with the
same gingerly
gait I use to
avoid brown
snakes.

The Age

Soldier's
Muslim support
goes viral

A British
soldier took to
Facebook to
express his
frustration that
people expected
him to be
Islamophobic
because he lost
a leg while
serving in Iraq.

The Age

This American
town elected a
Muslim-majority
city council
(and everything
is going great!)

US: Hamtramck is
a town of 22,000
residents and is
surrounded by
the city of
Detroit. Despite
its size, it has
four mosques and
20 churches,
along with a
Buddhist ashram
and a Hindu
temple.

Twenty-seven
different
languages are
spoken in its
schools. As of
January 2016, it
will also be
home to the
first
Muslim-majority
elected city
council in
America.

For some, this
milestone
confirms their
suspicions that
this nation is
becoming
“Islamicized”
and that,
somehow,
Hamtramck will
lurch toward
becoming a
“Sharia law”
zone. One may
suspect that
many of those
who believe that
also think that
the new
Starbucks
holiday cups are
an intentional
effort to kill
Christmas once
and for all. For
the vast
majority of
metro Detroiters
and
Michiganders,
the news of the
Hamtramck
elections either
registered a
faint blip on
their radars or
was seen for
what it is: yet
another
milestone in the
ever-developing
American
narrative of
lived democracy
in a land of
immigrants.

Saad Almasamari,
a young
Yemeni-American
was elected to
his first four
year term on the
council. He
joins re-elected
incumbents Anam
Miah and Abu
Miah, and fellow
incumbent
Mohammed Hassan,
all of
Bangladeshi
heritage. The
remaining
council members
are Titus
Walters, an
African-American,
and re-elected
incumbent Robert
Zwolak, a
Polish-American.

QUARTZ

Republican
senator visits
mosque to reject
Donald Trump's
Muslim ban

US: Senator Jeff
Flake, of
Arizona,
attended a
Friday afternoon
prayer service
at the Islamic
Centre of the
North East
Valley in
Scottsdale,
Arizona, with
his wife,
Cheryl, and two
of his four
sons.

In remarks
there, he did
not mention Mr
Trump by name
but offered a
stout rebuke of
Trumpism
following what
he called "a
difficult week
in Washington."

"It wasn't so
much the
legislative
calendar as it
was the rhetoric
that came forth,
mostly from the
presidential
campaign," Sen.
Flake said.

"That is not in
keeping with the
values and
ideals that have
made this
country the
shining city on
the hill that it
is. We are a
better country
than has been on
display this
week."

Divisions have
opened up in the
Turnbull
government, with
right-wing MPs
frustrated at
the Prime
Minister's
reluctance to
call out radical
Islam and angry
that ASIO boss
Duncan Lewis has
asked some MPs
to temper their
comments to
avoid causing
offence.

Conservative
Liberals have
complained that
Mr Lewis has
inappropriately
weighed in to
what they say is
a political
debate in which
the top security
bureaucrat has
no place.

Some suspect Mr
Lewis had been
instructed by
Malcolm Turnbull
or his office to
lean on
outspoken
conservative MPs
in a bid to keep
them quiet.

KARACHI,
Pakistan — I worry about
Muslims. Islam teaches me to
care about all human beings,
and animals too, but life is
short and I can’t even find
enough time to worry about
all the Muslims.
I don’t worry too much about
the Muslims who face racial
slurs in Europe and America,
the ones who are suspected
of harbouring murderous
thoughts at their workplaces
or those who are picked out
of immigration queues and
asked awkward questions
about their luggage and
their ancestors. I tell
myself that at the end of
their humiliating journeys
they can expect privileges
like running water,
electricity and tainted
promises of equality.

I do worry about the Muslims
who face extinction at the
hands of other Muslims in
their own homelands, usually
in places where they are in
a huge majority. My friend
Sabeen Mahmud was murdered
earlier this year, probably
for not being a good enough
Muslim, and it happened in
this country, a country so
Muslim that you can live
your entire life here
without shaking hands with a
non-Muslim.

But mostly I worry about my
kind of Muslims, those who
are expected to explain to
the world what real Islam is
like. We so-called moderate
Muslims are urged to take
control of the narrative and
wrest it away from the
radicals — as though we were
MFA students in a creative
writing class struggling
with midterm submissions,
rather than 1.6 billion
people of maddening
diversity.

Female high school
students protest Islamophobia by wearing
head scarves

US:
Non-Muslim female students
at Vernon Hills High School
in Chicago are protesting
Islamophobia and racism by
wearing traditional Islamic
head scarves. Over a dozen
girls at the school
participated in an
initiative called, “Walk a
Mile in Her Hijab,” in which
the girls wore head scarves
in order to better
understand the Muslim faith
and what it’s like to live
as a Muslim woman.

The event was
coordinated by students in
the school’s Muslim Student
Alliance, and school
principal Jon Guillaume says
that the administration
supports the initiative
completely. “I think this is
an opportunity for our kids
to embrace the Muslim
community within the
school,” said Guillaume.

“For other
kids outside of this
organization, to understand
what it’s like for these
girls to walk through our
halls in this garment in a
way that stands out from
other kids. So, I’m proud of
them.” Illinois has the
highest population of
Muslims in the United
States, and Vernon Hills’
students hope their efforts
help to combat anti-Muslim
sentiment and prejudice.

SAUDI ARABIA: The process of
dismantling the Mataf bridge
encircling the Kaaba will
begin after three months and
will be completed by Ramadan
to make room for 105,000
pilgrims to perform tawaf in
one hour. Before the
expansion, only 48,000
pilgrims could perform tawaf
in one hour.

The final stages of the
project are now underway.

Around 15,000 labourers are
working to expand the Mataf
area to prepare it for
around six million Umrah
visitors expected this year.

The third expansion phase is
expected to ensure the
movement of at least 1.6
million Umrah visitors,
while around 6,000 workers
and technical advisers are
expected to be employed in
the expansion process.

This is in addition to the
seasonal workers employed by
the Presidency of the Two
Holy Mosques. This project
is the biggest in the
history of the Grand Mosque
expansion.

When the expansion began the
number of columns on the
ground floor decreased by 30
percent. This is to provide
those performing tawaf
comfort create more space.

The project includes the
reconstruction of the old
Haram area in the first
expansion phase, and the
expansion of the adjacent
area by 50 meters instead of
just 20 meters on the
surface.

Mina stampede deaths three
times higher than acknowledged by Saudi
authorities: report

SAUDI ARABIA:
The September stampede
during the Haj in Saudi
Arabia killed at least 2,411
pilgrims, a new Associated
Press count shows, three
times the number of deaths
acknowledged by the kingdom
three months later.

The AP figures establish the
Sept 24 crush at Mina as the
deadliest in the history of
the annual pilgrimage which
occurred just weeks after a
fatal crane collapse in
Makkah.

Saudi Arabia rebuffed
criticism from its regional
rival Iran and efforts by
other countries to join a
probe into the deaths. And
while King Salman ordered an
investigation into the
tragedy almost immediately,
few details have been made
public since.

The AP count is based on
state media reports and
officials' comments from 36
of the over 180 countries
that sent citizens to the
Haj. Hundreds of pilgrims
remain missing. The official
Saudi toll of 769 people
killed has not changed since
Sept 26, and officials there
have yet to address the
discrepancy.

The state-run Saudi Press
Agency has not mentioned the
investigation into the
disaster since Oct 19, when
it reported that Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Nayef,
who is also the kingdom's
interior minister, was
“reassured on the progress
of the investigations.”

The crown prince is the next
in line to the throne and
any blame cast on the
interior ministry, which
oversees safety during the
Haj, could reflect
negatively on him.

The ruling Al-Saud family
maintains its major
influence in the Muslim
world through its oil wealth
and its management of
Islam's holiest sites. Like
Saudi monarchs before him,
King Salman has taken the
title of the Custodian of
the Two Holy Mosques.

Muhammad Ali Criticises
Donald Trump's Call to Ban Muslims From
Entering United States

US: Boxing legend
Muhammad Ali criticised Republican
presidential front-runner Donald Trump's
proposal to ban Muslims from entering
the United States, calling on Muslims
"to stand up to those who use Islam to
advance their own personal agenda."

Ali, one of the most
famous Muslims in the world, issued a
statement saying, "True Muslims know
that the ruthless violence of so called
Islamic Jihadists goes against the very
tenets of our religion."

He added, "I believe that
our political leaders should use their
position to bring understanding about
the religion of Islam and clarify that
these misguided murderers have perverted
people's views on what Islam really is."

Ali's statement on Wednesday, first
reported by NBC News, did not identify
Trump by name but was directed at
"presidential candidates proposing to
ban Muslim immigration to the United
States."

"I am a Muslim and there
is nothing Islamic about killing
innocent people in Paris, San
Bernardino, or anywhere else in the
world," Ali said in the statement. "True
Muslims know that the ruthless violence
of so called Islamic Jihadists goes
against the very tenets of our
religion."

Ali also asked Muslims to "stand up to
those who use Islam to advance their own
personal agenda."

"I believe that our political leaders
should use their position to bring
understanding about the religion of
Islam and clarify that these misguided
murderers have perverted people's views
on what Islam really is," he said.

SAUDI ARABIA:
Women in Saudi Arabia have
cast their first votes in
the country's history, in
municipal elections.

Women were also standing as
candidates, another first,
despite the conservative
kingdom being the only
nation where women are not
allowed to drive.

A total of 978 women have
registered as candidates,
alongside 5,938 men.

Female candidates have had
to speak behind a partition
while campaigning or be
represented by a man.
Turnout was high, state
media reported.

About 130,000 women
registered to vote,
officials said. That figure
still falls well short of
male voter registration,
which stands at 1.35
million.

Salma al-Rashed was the
first woman to register to
vote. "It felt really good,"
she told the BBC. "Change is
a big word but the election
is the way to make sure we
are really represented."

The election is for
municipal councils with few
powers, but it's a milestone
for Saudi women. As soon as
the polls were open at 0800
local time in Riyadh, Hatoon
al-Fassi rushed to cast her
vote. The Saudi academic and
women's rights campaigner
had to be driven there.
Women are still banned from
taking the wheel here.

She voted in an almost empty
polling station, for women
only. The election is
segregated, like everything
else in this deeply
conservative society.

"It feels great," she said
as she emerged, with a huge
smile. "This is a historical
moment. I thank God I am
living it." She has been
pushing for this day for
more than a decade.

Ms Fassi said it did not
matter how many women
actually get elected. "I am
not really worried about the
number, or to have any women
winning," she told us. "The
fact that we have gone
through this exercise is
what really matters."

Elections themselves are a
rare thing in the Saudi
kingdom - Saturday will be
only the third time in
history that Saudis have
gone to the polls.

There were no elections in
the 40 years between 1965
and 2005.

The decision to allow women
to take part was taken by
the late King Abdullah and
is seen as a key part of his
legacy.

Studies show that more and more kids are
becoming overweight or obese due to sedentary
lifestyles and or unhealthy food choices. One in
four children are rated overweight which
highlights the importance of fighting this
battle.

These are our future generations and if we can
make a difference now, the future for them will
be a whole lot brighter.

Most children spend
less than an hour a day doing exercise, so it’s
up to us to literally drop everything and move
for at least 30-60 mins. Keep it simple – take a
walk to the park for a few games or enjoy the
playground equipment.

Nutrition is just as important – we need to help
our kids choose healthier, more wholesome foods.

Now is the perfect time as the school holidays
are here….. Get up, get out, get active.

• Do choose water as your main drink. This is
the best choice of beverage as it is exactly
what the body needs to hydrate itself in these
scorching summer temperatures. Drinking enough
water will aid your metabolism and prevent
overeating at meal times. If you find water is a
bit too ‘boring’, try adding slices of lemon,
cucumber and mint for a hint of freshness. You
can also infuse more flavour with other fruits
such as sliced oranges and berries.

• Don’t choose sugar-sweetened beverages. You
will be surprised how many glasses you can drink
through in one occasion. Did you know that a can
of coke contains an equivalent to 10 teaspoons
of sugar? Do yourself a favour and avoid soft
drinks. Tea and coffee are fine, but if you are
having multiple cups, do try to limit the sugar
you put in as it all adds up.

KB says:
Quinoa can be substituted for most cereals and
is a good replacement for rice. It has a subtle
flavour with a fluffy, creamy and slightly
crunchy texture. It is delicious cold tossed
through a salad, or hot served with a stir-fry,
stew or casserole. You can use quiona similar to
how you use rice. Also try adding it to soups,
frittatas or vegie patties. Quinoa flour can be
used for baking gluten-free cakes, muffins,
cookies, pancakes and breads. You should be able
to find quinoa in the health food section of
supermarkets or from health food stores.

1. All Islamic Event dates given above are tentative and
subject to the sighting of the moon.

2. The Islamic date changes to the next day starting in
the evenings after maghrib. Therefore, exceptfor Lailatul
Mehraj,
Lailatul Bhahraat
and
Lailatul Qadr – these dates refer to the commencement of the event
starting in the evening of the corresponding day.

1. Daily Hadeeth reading From Riyadusaliheen,
After Fajar and after esha .
2. After school Madrassah for children Mon-Thu 5pm to 7pm

3. Adult Quran classes (Males) Monday and
Tuesday after esha for an hour.
4. Community engagement program every second Saturday of the
Month, interstate and overseas speakers, starts after
margib, Dinner served after esha, First program begins on
the 15 August.

5. Monthly Qiyamulail program every 1st
Friday of the month starts after esha.
6. Fortnight Sunday Breakfast program. After Fajar, short
Tafseer followed by breakfast.
7. Weekly Tafseer by Imam Uzair after esha followed by
dinner. Starts from 26 August.

For all activities, besides Adult Quran,
classes sisters and children are welcome.

Articles and
opinions appearing in this newsletter do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the Crescents of Brisbane Team, CCN,
its Editor or its Sponsors, particularly if they eventually
turn out to be libellous, unfounded, objectionable,
obnoxious, offensive, slanderous and/or downright
distasteful.

It is the usual policy of CCN to
include from time to time, notices of events that some
readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices are
often posted as received. Including such messages or
providing the details of such events does not necessarily
imply endorsement of the contents of these events by either
CCN or Crescents of Brisbane Inc.

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